When a picture doesn’t tell a thousand words: How Glastonbury reacted to Roe being overturned

A sense of emotion like that is extremely difficult to capture on camera, writes Alex Hickson

Towards the end of Lorde’s set, she performed a monologue about women’s reproductive rights (Getty)

There’s nothing quite like a music festival to feel and hear united passion in a crowd of thousands. This year’s Glastonbury Festival had its fair share of unifying moments. Unsurprisingly, not one member of the crowd was silent for Paul McCartney’s performance of “Hey Jude” – everyone joined in. But this year, there was another sense of unity at the Somerset festival – it was one of fury.

Those who attended the famously “lefty-loving” festival crawled out of their tents on Friday morning to hear with shock and indignation that the almost 50-year-old Roe v Wade decision had been overturned by the US Supreme Court, effectively removing a person’s right to have a safe and legal abortion.

That day, we were treated to several spectacular artists venting their absolute disgust with the decision on stage. Musicians including Olivia Rodrigo, Lily Allen, Billie Eilish, Phoebe Bridgers, Kendrick Lamar and Megan Thee Stallion all included furious mentions of the overturned law in their performances.